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CoolerMaster Extreme Power 500W, versus ThermalTake 430W (yes, that one)

VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
New rig is going to have:
E5200 CPU
gigabyte G31 mobo
2x2GB Gskill DDR2-800
WD 6400AAKS HD
Samsung S223F burner
Radeon X1950 Pro

CPU is likely going to be overclocked. Will attempt 12.5 x 300 = 3.75Ghz with it.

Currently, the ThermalTake 430W is powering:
E2140 @ 3.2Ghz, 1.425v (BIOS)
2x2GB Patriot DDR2-800
GA-P35-DS3R v1.0
WD 320GB SATA HD
LG 20X IDE dvd burner
Radeon X1950 Pro

So it doesn't seem to me like there is going to be a lot of difference. The CPU will be clocked at 3.75Ghz at probably 1.4v, as opposed to 3.2 at 1.425v, but it's a 45nm CPU that draws less power (in theory). I don't know if the G31 takes more or less power than the P35 chipset.

Just wondering about the relative quality of the CoolerMaster Extreme Power series versus the ThermalTake. The ThermalTake may be a bit underpowered, but they seem to have pretty decent build quality overall, and they do last.

The other question is, do I upgrade to the 500W now, if it's a good PSU (as good as the ThermalTake), in case the computer needs to accept a graphics card upgrade in the future?
 
Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
New rig is going to have:
E5200 CPU
gigabyte G31 mobo
2x2GB Gskill DDR2-800
WD 6400AAKS HD
Samsung S223F burner
Radeon X1950 Pro

CPU is likely going to be overclocked. Will attempt 12.5 x 300 = 3.75Ghz with it.

Currently, the ThermalTake 430W is powering:
E2140 @ 3.2Ghz, 1.425v (BIOS)
2x2GB Patriot DDR2-800
GA-P35-DS3R v1.0
WD 320GB SATA HD
LG 20X IDE dvd burner
Radeon X1950 Pro

So it doesn't seem to me like there is going to be a lot of difference. The CPU will be clocked at 3.75Ghz at probably 1.4v, as opposed to 3.2 at 1.425v, but it's a 45nm CPU that draws less power (in theory). I don't know if the G31 takes more or less power than the P35 chipset.

Just wondering about the relative quality of the CoolerMaster Extreme Power series versus the ThermalTake. The ThermalTake may be a bit underpowered, but they seem to have pretty decent build quality overall, and they do last.

The other question is, do I upgrade to the 500W now, if it's a good PSU (as good as the ThermalTake), in case the computer needs to accept a graphics card upgrade in the future?
Click to expand...

The old Thermaltakes were maybe a step up from the OKIA brand of PSU`s.
Yet to be fair my OKIA 350 has been working just fine in my sisters rig for maybe 5 years!
 
Review of Cooler Master eXtreme Power 500W
The DC Output Quality results of the load testing for the Cooler Master eXtreme Power 500w was certainly not what we would call good... By the time we reached Test #4 at 100v the unit was out of specification on all the primary rails.
Click to expand...

It's not a very good unit and has a somewhat low +12v of 30A combined. However, that's a sight better than the Thermaltake 430W at 18A for +12v.

I'd take this Antec EarthWatts 380W over both the Cooler Master and the Thermaltake that you mentioned. It is currently on sale at the same price as those Cooler Master 500W from Newegg, plus it has free shipping which the Cooler Master does not have. It puts out 27A on the +12v, but is well known to be able to put out every single last watt, plus do it without going out of spec on the rails. You might also be able to pick one up cheaper as a system pull, since these are bundled with the Antec NSK2480, NSK3480 and NSK4480 cases. Check the For Sale forums to see if anyone upgraded theirs.
 
I wouldn't recommend the Coolermaster extreme power 500w. It was causing random blue screens on my basic setup. (e7200, p5q pro, 7950gt, 4gb, and 2 hdds) I got a pc power and cooling psu to replace it, and I couldn't be happier.
 
I'll second Zap's recommendation of the Antec EA380, or even go as far as recommend the EA430. The entire Antec Earthwatts line is probably one of the best value lineups in power supplies right now.

Right now, I've got an EA430 powering an AMD setup....Phenom X4 9850 (Black Edition---OC'd to 3GHz), 4GB RAM, 3 hard drives, and a Radeon 3870....and it just purrs along without any complaints.

I've been so impressed with the EA line, I've ended up with almost one of every step in that line.....the 380, 430, 500, and 650......all purchased on sale at ridiculous low prices for what they offer (TY Microcenter and Fry's....)

And despite the gnashing of teeth of people fretting about Delta's builds for Antec, one of my favorite power supply testers put it this way when testing an EA650, the first Delta EA build he got his hands on, "I've heard a lot of people complaining about the move to Delta, wondering if perhaps Antec was somehow doing them wrong again, perhaps going back to the time when Antec units used to cut some corners. Well, wonder no more - if the EA650 is any indication at all, Antec has in fact improved their offerings again. Run out and get one if you've been eyeing one...."


Also, I'd look at the two power supplies you're considering and at their rear plug area...notice the voltage selectors on both? Clear signs that both are very old, non-PFC designs.....designs that are severly wanting and lacking in today's newer generation of power supply design and computer power requirements. (Hint: the power selector shows that those power supplies were more likely designed during the old P4 era.....or earlier.....) Not exactly what I'd want in any of my computers........
 
Another brand you might consider is Corsair. I have them in all the systems here and work flawlessly. I have the 550, 650 and 750. They just came out with a 400 watt that did really well in the review above. And with a rebate it's the same price as the 380 earthwatts. Never had a problem with Corsair rebates and I've had many with their memory and PSUs.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, people, but it really is down to choosing between the CoolerMAster or ThermalTake, there are no other options in this case. The budget has already been spent for the computer (that I'm building for someone else), and I already have the CoolerMaster and the ThermalTake lying around. No budget for going out and buying another PSU.

So if the CoolerMaster is that out of spec, I'll just throw in the ThermalTake like I originally figured. I just thought that if I needed more power in the future, the CoolerMaster might be an option, but now, I'll probably just sell it off seperately sometime.

 
Yeah, I used the ThermalTake in the rig. Using OCCT 3.0's PSU TEST, the system survived 15 minutes of it, so I declared the rig stable.
 
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